Andrea Stella expects a three-way battle in F1 in 2023 as the ex-Ferrari man, now McLaren team principal, reveals an insider rumor about Ferrari’s challenger. In 2023, the title will be decided between three teams according to Andrea Stella (Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes), with the Italian expecting a strong reaction from the Mercedes team next year and a resurgent Scuderia Ferrari
Andrea Stella, ex-Ferrari and now McLaren’s new Formula One team boss, believes the title battle in 2023 will once again be between three teams; Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari.
Freshly appointed McLaren’s Team Principal as a direct replacement for Germany’s Andreas Seidl who is leaving for Sauber, Andrea Stella expects to see three teams fighting for the title in 2023.
But the Italian engineer believes Mercedes, who had their worst season since 2014 and the introduction of hybrid engines in 2022, will have a strong response with a W14 that is far more competitive than last season’s W13.
In addition, Stella also sees Scuderia Ferrari being very strong in 2023, not least because the feedback from Maranello about the new 2023 car, to be unveiled on the 14th of February, is very positive with numbers suggesting a step improvement on last year’s F1- 75
“The teams to beat next season will be Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes, because they are currently competing in a different category to us,” said Stella in the Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I expect a very strong reaction from Mercedes, even though I know that at Ferrari they are very happy with the new car and, therefore, they will be very competitive from the start,” insists the Italian, who still has many friends in Maranello after working there just a few years ago.
“For us at McLaren, I still expect a difficult start, but I am optimistic for the second part of the season. The most important goal is to make a fast car. It’s essential to set simple goals, with solutions that can also be very complex.”
In 2022, the McLaren team finished fifth in the constructors’ world championship after a long battle with the Alpine team.
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